Recollections of Ajahn Chah - Various Authors

RECOLLECTIONS OFAJAHN CHAH

Recollections of Ajahn Chah

For Free DistributionSabbadna dhammadna jintiThe gift of the Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.

Published by Amaravati Publications,Amaravati Buddhist Monastery,Hertfordshire, Great [email protected]

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CONTENTS

Part I Interviews with Senior Sangha Members 1Chapter 1 Being with Ajahn Chah 3

Part II Forest Sangha Newsletter Articles 31Chapter 2 Gratitude to Ajahn Chah 33Chapter 3 Living with Luang Por 45Chapter 4 Ajahn Chah Passes Away 57Chapter 5 The Fiftieth Day Commemoration 63Chapter 6 A Noble Life 67Chapter 7 Questions & Answers 71Chapter 8 Questions & Answers II 77Chapter 9 Recollections by Jack Kornfield 85Chapter 10 Luang Por Chahs Relics 95Chapter 11 Recollections by Greg Klein 97Chapter 12 Timeless Teachings 101Chapter 13 Ajahn Chahs Birthday 107Chapter 14 Some Final Words 111Chapter 15 Thirty Years Later 121

v

Part III Television Interview 131Chapter 16 Interview with Ajahn Vajiro 133

Part IV A Recent Recollection 141Chapter 17 The Luang Por Chah Memorial Week 143

vi Recollections of Ajahn Chah

Part IINTERVIEWSWITH SENIOR SANGHAMEMBERS

1BEING WITH AJAHN CHAH

The first chapter of this book has been adapted from aseries of transcribed interviews which were conducted byAjahn Kongrit Ratanawanno during his time at AmaravatiBuddhist Monastery, UK. Ajahn Kongrits home monasteryis Wat Beung Saensook, Thailand. In most cases the inter-viewee was asked the simple question of what had inspiredthem most in being with Ajahn Chah.

Ajahn Sumedho

Luang Por Chah had a great deal of mett (loving-kindness)

and I felt welcomed by the way he received me at Wat Pah

Pong he seemed to be interested inme. I felt intuitively that

this was a very wise man. At the time I couldnt understand

Thai very well, but what I saw of how he lived his life and his

general way of being was very pleasing to me. His teaching

3

was very direct and he was able to see very quickly where I

was at.

He didnt wantme to spend time reading or studying, just

to practise. He emphasized everybodys paipat (practice).

When I first came to him, he told me to put my books away

and to just read the citta, my mind. I was happy to do that,

because I was weary of studying Buddhism and wanted to

practise it instead of just reading about it. This was what he

was encouraging me to do.

Though he gave a lot of talks, which I couldnt properly

understand for the first two years, he emphasized kor wat

(monastic duties), the way you live in the monastery: paying

attention, being mindful with food and the robes, and with

the ku (hut) and the monastery. He was like a mirror that

would reflect my state of mind. He always seemed to be

completely present. Id get carried away with thoughts and

emotions sometimes, but by just being around him, I found

that I could suddenly let go I could drop what I was holding

onto without even telling him. His presence helpedme to see

what I was doing andwhat I was attached to. So I decided that

I would live with him as long as I could, since such monks are

hard to find. I stayed with him for ten years at Wat Pah Pong

and at various branch monasteries.

Ajahn Pasanno

I cannot say there is really any single thing that impressedme

most, there were many things that impressed me. Certainly

4 Recollections of Ajahn Chah

Luang Por Chah set an example for us in the sense that he

didnt just teach from theory; when he taught he was always

present hewas an example ofwhatwas skilful and beautiful.

The images that come to mind are of Luang Por himself

being a great teacher and everybody respecting him somuch.

But I also remember a senior monk coming to visit Wat Pah

Pong, and Luang Por paying respects to and looking after this

monk. Seeing the teaching in action without his being the

Teacher really impressed me. It was a very direct teaching

on not-self and a living example of the ease and freedom

that come from penetrating not-self: neither a theory, nor a

Buddhist philosophy. That was the way he taught us: living

the example, rather than just giving us the philosophy. He

had a great ability to teach and draw people to the Dhamma

by using these ordinary life situations.

I remember one time we were coming back from piapat

(alms-round) and I was walking along behind him. My Thai

was not so good, so I was just being respectful and walking

close by him. We came in from the back of themonastery, and

as we were walking through the forest, two lizards fell from

a tree. Luang Por looked, then turned and said, See those

lizards, theyweremating. If theywerent caught in sensuality

they wouldnt have fallen and hurt themselves like this! It

was very simple, and for a new monk a very funny and direct

teaching.

These are very real situations, very ordinary, and very to

the point. Luang Pors ability to give examples and point to

the things aroundus empoweredus to seeDhammaourselves,

Chapter 1. Being with Ajahn Chah 5

rather than looking to scripture or looking to him. To see

that Dhamma is all around us and is something we can see

for ourselves was very empowering. It was both direct and

had that human quality.

This humanness of Luang Por Chah was really quite

striking. One time he had some skin problems and I was

helping him put ointment on the inflammation. I would have

to take off his sabong (under-robe) to spread the ointment all

around his bottom, back and legs. And he asked, Look at my

bottom, does it look beautiful? Then he would say, It is not

beautiful, nobodywouldwant it like this! Everybodywho gets

old, they all look like this. Again, this is taking the ordinary

and making it something that allows us to relinquish, to let

go.

There was also his extraordinary generosity: his willing-

ness to give of himself, to give to people, his compassion. That

was always very touching. He never really put himself first.

There was one year I was living atWat Pah Pong and acting as

his attendant. I had been a monk for many years by then and

my Thai was very good, so I could understand his teaching

and what he was doing. I used to stay with him until night-

time, and put him to bed and massage him. It would be very

rare for him to go to bed before midnight, and sometimes he

would be up until 1 or 2 a.m. Yet he was always willing to help

people who were interested in Dhamma; to give, to teach, to

train, andnever thought about keeping anything for himself

complete relinquishment, complete renunciation. It was very

powerful.


But it was very difficult to be his upatthak (attendant)! It

was really hard work because he never had a schedule, just

responding to situations in an appropriate way. His flexibility

came from generosity and compassion, not from any logical

sequence of how things should be. That was always very

impressive. So there aremany different aspects of living with

Luang Por Chah. Its difficult to pin it down to just one. If

you askme the same question tomorrow, different things will

come to mind.

Ajahn hiradhammo

Themostmeaningful and impressive aspect tomewas that he

was a living embodiment of the Buddhas teachings, which I

had only previously read about and understood conceptually.

The first meaningful example was when I went to live

at Wat Pah Pong. I thought that if I was living in the mon-

asteries under his guidance, I should get to know who this

great teacher Ajahn Chah was and what his basic teaching

was. I arrived there a month before the Rains Retreat began,

when there was a less formal schedule. Thus in the evening

one of the best learning situations was to sit at Ajahn Chahs

hut and listen to him interacting with visitors and resident

monks. Since my Thai was passable I could understand most

of what was said. However, as I listened to Ajahn Chahs

advice, counsel and teachings, I began to feel more confused

about who he was and what his teaching was. I noticed that

he gave different teachings to different people, sometimes


even giving contrary advice. To me he thus came across as

being inconsistent. So what was it? Was he just putting on

a front, or was he confused? This presented something of

a spiritual dilemma for me. On the one hand Ajahn Chah

was obviously an inspiring teacher, displaying considerable

wisdom and charisma. On the other hand, his teachings were

not consistent with how I thought an enlightened being

should be.

Then one evening as I listened to him, it suddenly

occurred to me that there was no fixed and consistent Ajahn

Chah. Rather than being a person with a particular teaching,

hewas actually just respondingwithmindfulness andwisdom

to whatever situation arose. His apparent inconsistency was

in effect a specific wise response to what the particular per-

son or situation required at that time. I had previously been

relating to Ajahn Chah as someone with a stable personality

and a set body of beliefs and views. Now it dawned onme that

he was not holding on to a fixed personality or definite views,

but was the living expression of mindfulness and wisdom.

What appeared to be inconsistency on the conventional level

was in truth a relevant and immediate response to whatever

was happening at the time. To me this was a living example

of impersonality.

Another example which was exceptionally helpful to me

personally was when I was bothered by the phenomenon

of peoples faces coming up in meditation. They were not

usually frightening, but just bothersome and distracting. I

wasnt sure what this meant or what caused it, and became


preoccupied with trying to understand or do something with

it. Fortunately I was able to ask Ajahn Chah about this.

He called it mental phenomena and said, Just observe it,

and dont be fascinated by it. Know it and go back to the

breathing. He explained that we can become attracted by

such things because theyre new and interesting. He said that

I might either become quite excited about them, thinking

I had psychic powers like precognition, seeing the face of

someonewho next daymight offer food, or I might think that

maybe ghosts were haunting me. This was the best and most

useful advice on the problem I had received from any teacher,

and when I could apply it, the faces eventually faded away.

And this principle has been very helpful for me in dealing

withmany of the unusual phenomenawhich arise in spiritual

practice.

Ajahn Sucitto

The first time I saw Luang Por Chah was when he landed

in Britain, when he came through the arrivals at Heathrow

Airport. There was a group of us monks: Ajahn Sumedho,

nando, Viradhammo, and myself. Ajahn Pabhkaro was

with Luang Por Chah. The first thing that I noticed about

him was that he was quite small, particularly compared with

Ajahn Pabhkaro. But he looked like a very, very big man he

carried himself like a big man; not aggressive, but completely

confident. He looked like he had a lot of space inside him.


Here he was in a foreign country, hed come from a long

plane journey, couldnt speak the language, but he looked

completely in charge and he knew exactly where he wanted

to be. He was not hurried. He was not anxious. He was

balanced in himself and looked warm and friendly not in

charge in a hard way, but at ease within his environment.

Whenever we came to see him, he was receptive; he knew

how to receive people. He was like your favourite uncle, as

if youd just been talking to him and youd known him all

your life; very easy, very warm and you immediately felt very

relaxed. Normally when you meet somebody whos strange,

you think, Better make sure everythings all right But with

him you felt relaxed because there was the presence of mett

immediately. This was overwhelming in someways because

usually almost everybody takes a little bit of time before they

warm up.

He stayed at the Hampstead Vihra in London. This was

just a small town house. Compared with the big space of Wat

Pah Pong it had very narrow corridors and small rooms, and

it was crowded. Yet hewas comfortable there. He hadwomen

sitting quite close to him, but it was no problem. People were

not doing things properly according to the Thai way of doing

things not deliberately, but just not doing things in the

proper way. And I could sense that some of the monks were

quite anxious to make sure it was all right, but he seemed to

stay at ease.

When people asked him questions, of course he couldnt

understand their words. So Ajahn Sumedho or Ajahn Pab-


hkaro would translate but he kept his focus on the ques-

tioner. If somebody asked some very complicated question

about the Abhidhamma, for example he would respond to

the questioner rather than the question, saying things like,

Thinking too much is not good for you, or, Sometimes its

like this and sometimes its like that. It was always a very

simple answer that went deeper than the question. It went

straight to the heart. He was never fooled by any of the

questions; he always went straight to the heart. He could feel

where people were coming from.

He was very kind: often humorous, but not dismissive.

He never wavered from being receptive and patient. People

would be affected by that. People could feel that immediate

heart contact and the effect was amazing. Sometimes the

place would be crowded with people whod sit there just so

they could be there. They didnt have any questions. They

just wanted to be there, just to feel that heart contact. People

are usually nervous, tense and anxious, so to be in a place

where there was somebody like this, offering this ease and

clarity, was a blessing. You couldnt understand what he

was saying and you didnt have anything to ask, but still you

wanted to be there. It would go on for hours. He never

seemed to change his pace. He never hurried; he never hung

back. Everything was just flowing. Never hurrying, never

stopping, and never moving back. It was always flowing

along, like still flowing water. That image is what he was like:

still flowing water.


Ajahn Munindo

During the time I was with or nearby Luang Por Chah, I was

aware he was making a powerful impression on me, but it

was only many years later that I became clearer about just

what it was that had been impressed upon me. At the time of

living in Thailand it was perhaps more like an intuition of the

rightness of staying there, even though it was certainly not

easy.

I heard that somebody once asked Luang Por Chah, How

come, out of all the monks in Thailand, you stand out as

different? Luang Por replied, I was willing to be daring.

Others wouldnt dare do as I did. I didnt hear this exchange

directly, it was reported to me later, but it had a significant

effect on my own attitude to practice. It signalled where the

priority lay. Knowing this about his attitude helped me to

understand his teachings better.

Luang Por Chah wasnt worried about being popular or

famous or rich, or having lots of disciples. If he felt that

something was right and should be done, he would do it.

Sometimes that took daring. From the stories of his exper-

iences in practice it was clear that he had to dare to confront

his own fears and resistances. He had to dare so as not to

be intimidated by the things that normally limit others. He

had to dare to contradict the views of others, even when they

were strongly held.

During the five years I was near him, the thing that

continually inspired me was how totally agile he was. My


recollection of how he handled situations stays with me and

serves as a valuable support in dealing with all that we have

to face here in the West. I think I had some sense of the way

he just flowed, without resistance. Whether it was import-

ant dignitaries coming to visit, or a simple villager who was

concerned about a sick water buffalo, or rich supporters from

Bangkok, he always had the same beautiful ability to go with

it. Sometimes he would be surrounded by a large gathering

of monks hanging on his every word, and at other times he

might just be sitting onhis ownwith one or two youngmonks,

chewing betel nut and drinking coca cola. He was always

able to adjust without stress. There were none of the tell-

tale signs of clingingwhich produce suffering in an individual

and generate an atmosphere of artificiality. He was as natural

as I could wish a human being to be. I dont think I have

ever seen anyone so thoroughly normal. Luang Por was at

home wherever he went, whatever he did. He could be quiet

and sensitive when you went to see him about some personal

struggle, and a fewminutes later hewould be shouting orders

at the huge crowd of soldiers who had come to help build his

new temple.

This teaching example identified for me how much res-

istance I still had, and that this struggling for and against

life was the source of the problem. Sometimes we think our

difficulties are caused by external circumstances, but usually

the biggest cause is our inner habits of clinging. Luang Por

didnt show any signs of resistance and accordingly didnt

manifest suffering. This state of non-suffering was real for


him, and it was remarkable how evident it alsowas outwardly.

Because he had settled the great questions in his own heart,

he was a catalyst for harmony and well-being in the outer

world. To have had the good fortune to witness that was a

blessing.

Ajahn Amaro

One of the most impressive things about Luang Por Chah

was the way that he could display authority without being

authoritarian. He was a very good leader but not someone

who had to dominate people. I didnt live with him for a

long time, and maybe the very first time I had an exchange

with him was in about April or May 1978, when I was an

angrika (postulant) and Luang Por was staying with us at

Wat Pah Nanachat. As an angrika I was the attendant to

Ajahn Pabhkaro, who was the abbot of the monastery. So it

was my job to get his robes and bowl ready for piapat in the

morning. I never found it easy to get up early in themorning;

I still dont. Morning is not my best time I can do it as an act

of will, but I have to make the effort.

On this particular morning I woke up and saw light com-

ing through the gaps between the planks of the walls. I

thought, Wow, the moon is really bright tonight. Then I

looked at the clock and saw that it must have stopped, and

I realized, Thats not the moon; thats the sun. So I leapt up,

threw my clothes on and raced down the path. When I got

to the back of the sla (main hall), all the other people had


already gone out for piapat, but AjahnPabhkaro and Luang

Por, whowere going out on a nearby piapat, still hadnt left.

I thought, OK, Ive still got time. Maybe they didnt notice. I

then realized it was twenty-five past and they were going to

leave at half-past. So I got their robes, hoping they hadnt

noticed Id arrived late and hadmissed themorning chanting

and sitting. While I was down by Ajahn Chahs feet tying

up the bottom end of his robes, he said something in Thai

which I couldnt understand. I looked up slightly anxiously at

Ajahn Pabhkaro for translation. Ajahn Chah had a big grin

on his face, an incredibly friendly, loving smile. Then Ajahn

Pabhkaro translated, Sleep is delicious. That was the first

time in my life when I did something wrong, but instead of

being criticized or punished was met by an extraordinarily

loving attitude. It was at that point that something in my

heart knewBuddhismwas really very different fromanything

I had encountered previously.

Luang Por was also very flexible. He had no respect for

time. And he didnt have any respect for logical consistency.

He could change his mind or his approach in a finger-snap. A

couple of years later, when Ajahn Sumedho was starting up

Chithurst monastery, I was thinking of going back to England

to visit my family. I got a telegram saying my father was very

ill with a heart attack, so I came down fromRoi-Et and then to

Wat Pah Pong to pay respects to Luang Por and ask his advice.

I felt I should leave for England soon, but my question was

how I should go about this. My Thai was pretty poor, and

on that occasion Ajahn Jgaro was translating. I explained


to Luang Por that I only had one Rains Retreat as a monk and

that I was from England; my family lived quite near Chithurst

and my father had just had a heart attack and was very sick,

and what did Luang Por think I should do?

He spoke for about twenty minutes it was a long speech

and I didnt really catch much of it. At the end, Ajahn Jgaro

said, Well, he said four things.

Go to England and when your visit to your family is

finished, go and pay your respects to Ajahn Sumedho and

then come straight back to Thailand.

Go to England and stay with your family and when your

business with your family is finished, go to stay with Ajahn

Sumedho for a year and then after that year you should come

back to Thailand.

Go to England, stay with your family, when your busi-

nesswith your family is finished, go staywith Ajahn Sumedho

and help him out. If it gets too difficult, you can come back to

Thailand if you really want to.

Go to England, when the business with the family is

finished, go and stay with Ajahn Sumedho and dont come

back.

The whole talk was delivered with exactly the same

expression. It wasnt as if any one option was preferable.

As he was speaking, each single option was an absolutely

sincere piece of advice, a directive: Do this. These are your

instructions. Follow them to the letter! And he wasnt trying

to be clever. It was obvious that he was being absolutely

straightforward.


Related to that was his quality of being transparent as a

person. Someone once asked me to take a message to him,

saying that some people had just arrived at the sla and could

he come to meet them. So I went to his ku, where he was

sitting on his rattan bench with his eyes closed. There was

no one else around. I went up and knelt in front of him and

he didnt open his eyes. So I waited a fewminutes, wondering

what to do, but he still didnt open his eyes. So I said (in Thai),

Excuse me, Luang Por and he opened his eyes. But it was as

if there was absolutely nobody there. He wasnt asleep; his

eyes opened, but there was no expression on his face. It was

completely empty. He looked at me, and I looked at him and

said, Luang Por, Ajahn Chu asked me to bring a message that

some people have come to the sla and would it be possible

for you to come and receive them?

Again for a moment there was no expression, just this

completely spacious, empty quality on his face. Then out of

nowhere, the personality appeared. He made some remark

that I didnt quite catch and it was as if suddenly the person

appeared; it was like watching a being coming into existence.

There was an extraordinary quality in that moment, see-

ing a being putting on a mask or a costume, as if to say, OK,

Ill be Ajahn Chah. I can play at being Ajahn Chah for these

people. You could see that assumption of the personality, the

body, all the characteristics of personhood just being taken

up as if he was putting on his robe or taking up a role for

the sake of emerging and contacting other people. It was


very powerful, seeing that something coming out of nothing;

seeing a being appearing before your eyes.

Ajahn Jayasro

I arrived at Wat Pah Pong in December 1978. It was the

uposatha (observance) day. I was already an angrika but I

hadnt shaved my head. I had been travelling. One of the

Western monks, Tan Pamutto, took me to his ku and shaved

my head, and then we went to pay respects to Luang Por. The

moment I saw him I had a very strong feeling that he would

be my teacher, and that I didnt need to go anywhere else.

Before I left England, Ajahn Sumedho gave me a piece

of advice. He said, Dont look for the perfect monastery, it

doesnt exist. Even so I got a little side-tracked and went to

staywith another teacher for a fewdays. But then I cameback

to Wat Pah Pong and thought, Now I can stop travelling.

I felt Luang Por was unlike anybody I had evermet before.

I felt he was the only totally normal person I had ever met

everyone else was a bit abnormal compared to him! It felt

as if Id spent my whole life listening to people singing just a

little bit out of tune, and this was the first time Id ever heard

someone sing in tune. Or as if Id grown up in a country that

only had plastic flowers, and then one day I finally saw a real

flower: Ah, so thats what a real flower is. Ive only ever seen

plastic flowers before. Plastic flowers can be beautiful, but

theyre nothing like real flowers.


Question: Ajahn Chah couldnt speak English, and you,

when you came, couldnt speak Thai, so how did you learn

from him?

Answer: The teaching that you receive in a desan

(Dhamma talk) and in other verbal teachings is only one part

of what you get from a teacher. From the very first day, the

thing that I received from Ajahn Chah, and the thing that

impressed me most, was this very strong confidence that he

was an enlightened being, and therefore that enlightenment

is real and possible. I had that belief before from books Id

read, and to a certain extent from other teachers, but it was

onlywhen Imet Ajahn Chah that this became really grounded

inmy being, this confidence that the path to Nibbna can still

be followed and that it is possible to realize all the fruits of

the Holy Life. So I was impressed by who Ajahn Chah was,

his being, as much as by his teaching. Of course I was very

inspired by his teachings, and there are many teachings that

I treasure and have made great use of in my practice.

When you become a monk, you go through periods of

feeling very positive, and you can also go through periods

when you feel discouraged and very unhappy. I think if you

look closely at what sustains you when you feel down, its not

so much the wise teachings and reflections as the faith that

what youre doing is really meaningful, and that the path of

practice does lead to Nibbna. Ive never had any disrobing

doubts since I became a monk. Other monks who understood

or studied the teachings more than I have disrobed. It didnt

help them. But because I had the presence of Ajahn Chah


and afterwards the memory of Ajahn Chah, it seemed to me

theres no alternative, theres nothing else that makes sense

except to be a monk and to follow this path.

I also loved his being and how he expressed himself, his

voice. If you gave Ajahn Chah a newspaper to read out loud,

or if he were just to read names from a telephone directory, I

could still listen to him for hours.

Ajahn Khemanando

Most of my own personal experience of Ajahn Chah comes

from the period, beginning in January 1979, when I came to

stay at Wat Pah Pong as a layman, followed by many months

as an angrika or pa-khao (postulant). I was a newcomer to

Thailand and monastic life, and spoke or understood very

little Thai, being quite dependent on themore seniorWestern

monks for translations and explanations of what was hap-

pening. So my impressions from that time were not so much

of profound dialogues or specific instructions on meditation,

but more revelations of Ajahn Chahs character, which would

often overturn my own pre-conceptions about the nature of

an enlightened being, whilst also, sometimes simultaneously,

providing evidence that he did indeed function on quite a

different level from the people by whom he was surroun-

ded; apparently small incidents in which Ajahn Chah would

do things that didnt need explaining, which I was able to

observe to gain some food for thought.


Once I and a fellow pa-khao, a NewZealander, werewhiling

away a hot, steamy afternoon in idle conversation on the

balcony of my ku. At Wat Pah Pong in those days, much of

the formal practice was done as a group activity in the main

hallmorning and evening, while your individual ku was kind

of sacrosanct, where you could expect to be left to your own

devicesmost of the time. We had adjacent kus in a far corner

of themonastery andhad become friends, offering each other

companionship and support in this way, basically relaxing

and goofing off. So you can imagine how surprised and guilty

we felt when Ajahn Chah himself suddenly appeared on the

path to the ku, calling out and beckoning with his hand!

We thought we were in for a scolding for not meditating

diligently, but Ajahn Chah didnt seem bothered at all, he

wasnt telling us to stop talking, but calling to us, Come here,

come here!

It transpired that Ajahn Chah was taking time off from

being the resident sage of Wat Pah Pong, receiving a constant

stream of visitors at his ku, and had decided to go hunting

for monitor lizards instead! Having just spotted one in the

vicinity, he had come to enlist our help, patiently miming an

explanation of how to fix a string snare to the end of a bamboo

pole. Ajahn Chah was very fond of the forest chickens, which

he would feed with rice in the area around his own ku. He

wanted to protect them from their natural enemy, the large

monitor lizards which liked to eat their eggs.

So there followed what turned out to be a hilarious scene

of two rather clumsy, inexperienced Westerners, goaded on


by an enthusiastic Ajahn Chah, their adopted spiritual guide,

thrashing around in the forest trying to catch a big lizard

hardly the sort of thing that I had imagined writing home

about! Wewere quite hopeless, of course, and eventually gave

up without catching anything, but not before having a good

laugh at ourselves.

What struck me most about this little episode was the

contrast between Ajahn Chah the lizard hunter, displaying a

very natural spontaneity and down-to-earth, almost childlike

simplicity and humour, and the awe-inspiring formality of

his role as head of a large important monastery, which up to

that point was all I had ever seen of him. This had the effect

of undermining many of my own pre-conceptions regarding

what a great enlightened teacherwas supposed to be like, and

helped me to see that Ajahn Chah was actually very natural

and quite funny. So I was able to feel less intimidated and

more relaxed in being around him.

I spent the Vassa of that year as a pa-khao with Ajahn

Chah, when he unexpectedly decided to leave Wat Pah Pong

for the monastery in his home village, Wat Gor Nork, three

kilometres away. I was the most junior of the four foreign

disciples who accompanied Ajahn Chah at that time for what

turned out to be a unique Rains Retreat. He gave some very

profound Dhamma talks during this Vassa, in response to

specific questions by more senior Western monks who took

advantage of his increased accessibility in such a small place.

Most of this was over my head at the time as my Thai was still

pretty minimal, and I was for the most part preoccupied with


various chores: cleaning spittoons, etc., such was my lowly

position.

Ajahn Chah had come to this little monastery specifically

to renovate it, and soon set about building a new sla. He was

often to be seen supervising the work in progress, strutting

around with his big walking-stick, barking out comments

and commands in a most imperious manner, displaying what

appeared to be dissatisfaction, irritation or even anger. It was

really quite intimidating to watch and I was starting to get a

bit put off by it all, when Ajahn Chah seemed to notice that I

was having a few doubts about this performance. He looked

across at me and by way of reassurance pointed to the centre

of his chest and said, Nothing here; nothing here! I realized

then that he was actually a consummate actor and could

display behaviour without being at all affected by it. He was

simply doing what was necessary to get the right response

from the village workers, who are culturally conditioned to

respond to that kind of expression of authority. Another time

I witnessed him metamorphose into a really friendly, jovial

old uncle or grandfather in response to a visiting family group

a most saccharine performance that at the time struck me

as transparently artificial. But on reflection I could see that

it was in fact just right for those people in that situation, and

they departed happy and uplifted.

Through experiences like these I learned to let go of fixed

views about how supposedly enlightened people should or

should not act. Ajahn Chah was very skilful in adapting to

circumstances for the sake of inspiring or teaching others,


and this indicated a highly developed mind. But an unen-

lightened observer of such outward behaviour cannot see

the true quality of a mind like that. The purity or lack of

defilement cannot be seen directly; all that can be seen is

an apparently normal person displaying normal character-

istics and reactions. So we should be very cautious about

jumping to conclusions or passing judgements based on such

superficial observations. As the Buddha pointed out, it is very

difficult for an unenlightened person to know the quality of a

wise person. It needs keen observation over a long period of

time a very important point.

VisitingAjahnChah back atWat Pah Pong after thatVassa,

I foundhimdirecting a contingent of young conscript soldiers

who had come to help clean up the monastery, sweeping,

picking up leaves, etc. There he was, sitting in his wicker

chair, waving his stick and bellowing orders left, right and

centre. Seeing it was me who had come to sit beside him

under his ku, he made an oblique reference to the previous

encounter at Wat Gor Nork by leaning over and saying with a

little grin, You cant talk to Westerners like that, can you?

I was impressed by how much he seemed to understand

the character of Westerners and the problems they had in

undertaking the monastic training. Although he spoke most

of the time in the appropriate way for Thais who are

conditioned to respond to authority like that yet he was

adaptable and quick enough to pick up the ways of dealing

with Westerners, even those who couldnt understand his

language. The villagers were always amazed by how Ajahn


Chah, who had very little in the way of formal education or

worldly sophistication, could actually teach somanyWestern

disciples without even speaking English. Ajahn Chah would

simply point out that they themselves were raising chickens

and buffalo all the time without knowing their language, and

were managing all right!

He was very observant and could quite accurately assess

the personality of approaching newcomers by watching their

faces, their postures, the way they walked, etc. Before they

had even sat down or said anything, Ajahn Chah would make

a remark to those present, such as, This ones full of doubt!

which subsequent conversation would reveal to be true.

More than anything else, I think it was probably his

humour that made him attractive to Westerners, for whom

conceit, views and attachment to all sorts of worldly know-

ledge and sophistication could be serious obstructions. But

Ajahn Chah would have means of deflating all that in a

humorous way. Its very difficult to point out somebodys

defilements in an acceptable way that doesnt cause offence

or inspire resistance or rejection. But Westerners generally

have a rather sarcastic sense of humour, and Ajahn Chah

would play on that with his own wit and make people aware

of their own faults in a very funny way, which would in turn

endear him to them even more.

Most of the time I was actually with Ajahn Chah, I didnt

understand Thai very well at all, and just as I was getting

competent in the language, he got sick and was incapacitated

to the point of being unable to speak. But although the tapes


and books produced in later times made me aware of what I

had missed experiencing personally, I feel no regret about it,

because after being a monk for so many years now, I really

believe that the initiation into spiritual life of those early

years gave me something that has sustained me right up to

the present. Basically, the simple conviction that this is right;

it works, it is all you need. This conviction sprang directly

from my own experience of Ajahn Chahs example; this per-

son who seemed to have such cast-iron integrity, who con-

veyed complete certainty and a kind of natural authority that

commanded respect. Confronted almost daily by all kinds

of people, problems and questions, he was quite unshaken

from this position of inner certainty and calm. No one could

upset him or make him change his position, and this was

most impressive. I had never seen anyone so constant, and it

seemed to be proof that he was operating on quite a different

level from the average person.

So although I cant really claim to have had profound

discussions or a deep, personal connection with Ajahn Chah,

just the constancy of his presence was enough to anchor me

to the principles of the training he taught. And it inspired

great confidence to have an example of someone who had

achieved such results from the practice, who embodied the

Dhamma and lived it all the time. Consequently, I never really

had doubts about it or any problems in surrendering myself

to it. I had never had a teacher before ormuch understanding

of what that might imply, and was also a fairly critical person

with a rather cynical bent. But the example of Ajahn Chah


himself made the surrender of opinions and preferences, the

endurance of simplicity and austerity, the tribulations of diet

and climate, etc. a joy to undertake.

Without such an example as a constant reminder, its very

easy to remain stuck in ones own views and opinions, which

is a major obstacle to success in training. Westerners espe-

cially have problems because they know somuch. They know

that there are other teachers, other traditions and books all

over theplace, and they can just get lost, never really grasping

the point of it all. Ajahn Chah would say, Dont read books.

Dont write home more than twice a year. Youve come here

to die! The idea of living in the forest and being simple really

appealed to me, as my character naturally disposes me to be

that way. It was no great wrench to take up the forest life.

Its often assumed that living with a teacher means hav-

ing an in-depth personal rapport, characterized by weighty

discussions of profound topics pertaining to spiritual life and

the highest goals thereof. But thats not necessarily the case.

You never really enter spiritual life whole-heartedly until

you surrender yourself, surrender views and opinions. Ajahn

Chahs genius was in his ability to point this out, orchestrat-

ing an environment or training situation in which people

could become aware of their own defilements and learn not

to believe their own thinking. This is incredibly important.

Without the example of someone who has done it; who lives

it, its really difficult to give up self-concern. I never had

any problems wondering whether I should be doing this or

whether I should go somewhere else. Inspired by Ajahn


Chahs example, I just got on with it. I didnt see any point

in going anywhere else.

Eventually you verify the teaching through your own

practice, and you realize how things change. Your habits

change; your character changes. Your defilements get less.

Life gets easier and your mind is more peaceful. Everything

Ajahn Chah has been saying is true!

Ajahn Chandaplo

My experience with Ajahn Chah is very limited because I only

saw him one time before he got really sick, when he could still

walk and talk and function normally. While I was studying in

Scotland he was invited to visit Edinburgh, and he was with

Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Pabhkaro. He had just arrived

that evening, and he stayed overnight and left the following

day. There was a meeting with a few people. He didnt give a

talk, just questions and answers, and I cant remember what

he said, but it did leave an impression. I remember him as

someone totally at ease and just completely normal. There

was nothing really outstanding, hewas just someonewhowas

right there. Therewas no kind of pretence or play-acting; he

was just who he was.

It was just a short meeting, a short meditation. After-

wards he answered questions and I saw him for an hour or

so. I was still quite new to practice and Buddhism. The only

monk Id met before was Ajahn Sumedho, so it felt like a very


important and fortunate thing to be able to meet his teacher

as well. I felt very much in awe, you know Ajahn Chah!

We were waiting for them to arrive and I happened to be

just outside in the corridorwhenhe came. I remember feeling

quite shy and embarrassed, not knowing how to behave. So

I just raised my hands in ajal (a gesture of respect) as he

walked past he was really short and walking with a stick.

And he stopped and looked up at me, and then carried on.

Q: Do you remember what year this was in?

A: It must have been 1979. I remember him sitting in a

chair and just looking around, tapping things with his stick.

I felt there was kindness, a good feeling from just being in

his presence. It was a long time ago and very brief, but what

stands out is that feeling of the goodness of his presence, and

that he was someone who was very much at ease.

Ive always enjoyed his teachings that have been pub-

lished in books, like Bodhinyana and A Taste of Freedom,

very inspiring. Theres an apparent simplicity in them, but

also the depth and profundity of his wisdom comes across.

And even though you can read them many times, theres

still something that reaches and touches you something

inspiring.

Ajahn Karuiko

I met Luang Por Chah in England. He came to the Hampstead

Vihra in 1979, when I was still a layman. One of the things

I noticed was just the sense of happiness of Luang Por Chah,


his joy and happiness and the effect that had on my mind.

It made me feel very happy to be around him. One of the

most interesting things about that time was that I had been

meditating for maybe 18 months and it was very difficult,

therewas pain, restlessness. But then Luang Por Chah arrived

at theVihra, andmymindwas very calm and peaceful. So Id

go every night because my meditation was very good when

he was there. That was very interesting just the power of

his presence and my mind went calm. Usually it wasnt calm,

because in my early days of meditation, sitting wasnt easy.

But it was easy to sit when he was there.

Then I think just the power of hismett affected me this

nice feeling in the heart. So I really enjoyed just being around

him. It was a very special time, that week he was there; Id

go every night. It was interesting too that even if he was

downstairs in the Vihra, still my meditation was good, even

whenhewas not in the room incredible. I noticed thatwhen

he left to go back to Thailand.

He used to tease people; ask people questions and tease

them a little bit. So when I sat there and I was at his feet,

just in awe of this wonderful man, he looked down at me and

said, What do you think it would be like to sit there for one

whole hour without one thought coming into your mind?, I

thought, Oh, very enlightened! But he said, Like a stone!

and I couldnt answer that! Being around him when he came

to the Hampstead Vihra when I was a layman was a very

wonderful experience. And thats more or less the only time

I really was near to Luang Por Chah when he was well.


Part IIFOREST SANGHA NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

2GRATITUDE

TO AJAHN CHAH

Issue 9, published in July 1989.

June 17th was the 71st birthday of, Venerable Ajahn Chah,spiritual teacher of over 80 forest monasteries in Thailand,Britain and around theworld. As is customary in themonas-teries in England, the days practice was offered in gratitudeto him and for his well-being. In this Newsletter we present,through some reflections, an occasion for readers to recollectwhat he has made possible for all of us.

Venerable Jayasro was formally abbot at Wat PahNanachat. In 1988 he visited the UK as a translatorfor Venerable Chao Khun Paananda. The followingreflections on Ajahn Chahs life are taken from a talk givenat Amaravati Buddhist Centre in June of that year.

My own first meeting with Ajahn Chah was on the full moon

of December 1978. I had spent the Rains Retreat of that

year as an eight-precept lay person with Ajahn Sumedho at

33

Oakenholt in England. After the retreat I went out to Thai-

land. When I arrived at Wat Pah Pong, Venerable Pamutto,

an Australianmonk resident there at the time, tookme to see

Ajahn Chah. He was sitting under his ku having a drink. He

looked at me and smiled very warmly. He held out the drink

he had in his hand, so I crawled over and took it. As I returned

to my place I found there were tears welling up in my eyes. I

was emotionally overcome for quite a while. Since that day I

dont think I have ever wanted to leave the monastery or do

anything except be a disciple of Ajahn Chah.

People often presumed there would be a problem with

language for Westerners who wanted to stay at the monas-

tery, but this was not the case. Someone once asked Ajahn

Chah: Luang Por, how do you teach all your Western dis-

ciples? Do you speak English or French? Do you speak

Japanese or German? No, replied Ajahn Chah. Then how

do they all manage? he asked. Householder, Ajahn Chah

enquired, at your home do you have water buffaloes? Yes,

Luang Por was the reply. Do you have any cows, or dogs, or

chickens? Yes, Luang Por. Tellme, Luang Por asked, do you

speakwaterbuffalo: do you speak cow? No, the householder

replied. Well, how do they all manage?

Language was not so important to Luang Por. He knew

how to see through the exterior trappings of language and

culture. He could see how all minds basically revolve around

the same old centres of greed, hatred and delusion. His

method of training was one of pointing directly at the way

ourminds work. Hewas always showing us how craving gives


rise to suffering actually allowing us to see the Four Noble

Truths directly. And for him, the way of exposing desires was

to frustrate them. In his vocabulary, the words to teach and

to torment were more or less interchangeable.

Such training as this can only take place if everyone in

the monastery has great confidence in the teacher. If there

is the slightest suspicion that he might be doing it out of

aversion or desire for power, therewouldnt be any benefit. In

Ajahn Chahs case everyone could see that he had the greatest

courage and fortitude, and so could trust that he was doing it

out of compassion.

Primarily he would teach about letting go. But he also

taught a lot about what to do when we cant let go. We

endure, he would say. Usually people could appreciate intel-

lectually about letting go, but when faced with obstacles

they couldnt do it. The teaching of patient endurance was

a central aspect of the way that he taught. He continually

changed routines around in the monastery so you wouldnt

become stuck in ruts. As a result you kept finding yourself

not quite knowing where you stood. And he would always be

there watching, so you couldnt be too heedless. This is one

of the great values of living with a teacher; one feels the need

to be mindful.

In looking into Ajahn Chahs early life, it was inspiring

for me to find just how many problems he had. Biographies

of some great masters leave you with the impression that

they were perfectly pure from the age of eight or nine that

they didnt have to work at their practice. But for Ajahn

Chapter 2. Gratitude to Ajahn Chah 35

Chah practice was very difficult. For one thing, he had a

lot of sensual desire. He also had a great deal of desire for

beautiful requisites, such as his bowl and robes, etc. He made

a resolution in working with these tendencies that he would

never ask for anything, even if it was permitted to do so by

the Discipline. He related once how his robes had been falling

to bits; his under-robe was worn paper-thin, so he had to

walk very carefully lest it split. Then one day he heedlessly

squatted down and it tore completely. He didnt have any

cloth to patch it, but remembered the foot-wiping cloths in

the Meeting Hall. So he took them away, washed them and

patched his robe with them.

In later times when he had disciples, he excelled in skilful

means for helping them; he had had so many problems him-

self. In another story, he related how he made a resolution

to really work with sensual desire. He resolved that for the

three-month Rains Retreat he would not look at a woman.

Being very strong-willed, he was able to keep to this. On the

last day of the retreat many people came to the monastery

to make offerings. He thought, Ive done it now for three

months, lets see what happens. He looked up, and at that

moment there was a young woman right in front of him. He

said the impact was like being hit by lightning. It was then

that he realized mere sense restraint, although essential, was

not enough. No matter how restrained one might be regard-

ing the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, if there

wasntwisdom tounderstand the actual nature of desire, then

freedom from it was impossible.


He was always stressing the importance of wisdom, not

just restraint, but mindfulness and contemplation. Throwing

oneself into practice with great gusto and little reflective

ability may result in a strong concentration practice, but one

eventually ends up in despair. Monks practising like this

usually come to a point where they decide that they dont

have what it takes to break through in this lifetime, and

disrobe. He emphasized that continuous effort was much

more important than making a great effort for a short while,

only to let it all slide. Day in, day out; month in, month out;

year, in year out: that is the real skill of the practice.

What is needed in mindfulness practice, he taught, is a

constant awareness of what one is thinking, doing or saying.

It is not a matter of being on retreat or off retreat, or of

being in amonastery or outwandering on tudong; its amatter

of constancy: What am I doing now; why am I doing it?

Constantly looking to see what is happening in the present

moment. Is this mind state coarse or refined? At the begin-

ning of practice, he said, our mindfulness is intermittent, like

water dripping from a tap. But as we continue, the inter-

vals between the drips lessen and eventually they become a

stream. This stream ofmindfulness is what we are aiming for.

It was noticeable that he did not talk a lot about levels of

enlightenment or the various states of concentration absorp-

tion (jhna). He was aware of how people tend to attach

to these terms and conceive of practice as going from this

stage to that. Once someone asked him if such and such a

person was an arahant was enlightened. He answered, If


they are then they are, if theyre not, then theyre not; you

are what you are, and youre not like them. So just do your

own practice. He was very short with such questions.

When people asked him about his own attainments, he

never spoke praising himself or making any claim what-

soever. When talking about the foolishness of people, he

wouldnt say, You think like this and you think like that, or

You do this and you do that. Rather, he would always say,

We do this and we do that. The skill of speaking in such a

personal manner meant that those listening regularly came

away feeling he was talking directly to them. Also, it often

happened that people would come with personal problems

they wanted to discuss with him, and that very same evening

he would give a talk covering exactly that subject.

In setting up his monasteries, he took a lot of his ideas

from the great meditation teacher Venerable Ajahn Mun, but

also from other places he encountered during his years of

wandering. Always he laid great emphasis on a sense of

community. In one section of the Mahparinibbna Sutta1 the

Buddha speaks about thewelfare of the Sangha being depend-

ent onmeeting frequently in large numbers, in harmony, and

on discussing things together. Ajahn Chah stressed this a lot.

The Bhikkhu Discipline (the Vinaya) was to Ajahn Chah a

very important tool for training. He had found it so in his

own practice. Often he would give talks on it until one or two

oclock in the morning; the bell would then ring at three for

1Dgha Nikya 16.


morning chanting. Monks were sometimes afraid to go back

to their kus lest they couldnt wake up, so they would just

lean against a tree.

Especially in the early days of his teaching things were

very difficult. Even basic requisites like lanterns and torches

were rare. In those days the forest was dark and thick with

many wild and dangerous animals. Late at night you could

hear the monks going back to their huts making a loud noise,

stomping and chanting at the same time, On one occasion

twenty torches were given to the monastery, but as soon as

the batteries ran out they all came back into the stores, as

there were no new batteries to replace them.

Sometimes Ajahn Chahwas very harsh on thosewho lived

with him. He admitted himself that he had an advantage over

his disciples. He said that when his mind entered samdhi

concentration for only 30 minutes, it could be the same as

having slept all night. Sometimes he talked for literally hours,

going over and over the same things again and again, telling

the same story hundreds of times. For him, each time was

as if it was the first. He would be sitting there giggling and

chuckling away, and everybody else would be looking at the

clock and wondering when he would let them go.

It seemed that he had a special soft spot for those who

suffered a lot; this often meant the Western monks. There

was one English monk, Venerable hitabho, to whom he gave

a lot of attention; that means he tormented him terribly. One

day there was a large gathering of visitors to the monastery,

and as often happened, Ajahn Chah was praising the Western


monks to the Thais as a way of teaching them. He was saying

how clever the Westerners were, all the things they could

do and what good disciples they were. All, he said, except

this one, pointing to Venerable hitabho. Hes really stupid.

Another day he asked Venerable hitabho, Do you get angry

when I treat you like this? Venerable hitabho replied, What

use would it be? It would be like getting angry at a mountain.

Several times people suggested to Ajahn Chah that he

was like a Zen master. No Im not, he would say, Im like

Ajahn Chah. There was a Korean monk visiting once who

liked to ask him koans. Ajahn Chahwas completely baffled; he

thought they were jokes. You could see how it was necessary

to know the rules of the game before you could give the right

answers. One day this monk told Ajahn Chah the Zen story

about the flag and the wind, and asked, Is it the flag that

blows or is it the wind? Ajahn Chah answered, Its neither;

its the mind. The Korean monk thought that was wonderful

and immediately bowed to Ajahn Chah. But then Ajahn Chah

said hed just read the story in the Thai translation of Hui

Neng.

Many of us tend to confuse complexity with profundity,

so Ajahn Chah liked to show how profundity was in fact

simplicity. The truth of impermanence is the most simple

thing in the world, and yet it is the most profound. He really

emphasized that. He said the key to living in the world with

wisdom is a regular recollection of the changing nature of

things. Nothing is sure, he would constantly remind us.

He was always using this expression in Thai Mai nair!


meaning uncertain. He said this teaching, Its not certain,

sums up all the wisdom of Buddhism. He emphasized that

in meditation, We cant go beyond the hindrances unless we

really understand them. This means knowing their imper-

manence.

Often he talked about killing the defilements, and this

alsomeant seeing their impermanence. Killing defilements

is an idiomatic expression in the meditative Forest Tradition

of north-east Thailand. It means that by seeing with penet-

rative clarity the actual nature of defilements, you go beyond

them.

While it was considered the job of a bhikkhu in this tra-

dition to be dedicated to formal practice, that didnt mean

there wasnt work to do. When work needed doing you did

it. And you didnt make a fuss. Work is not any different

from formal practice if one knows the principles properly.

The same principles apply in both cases, as the same body

and mind are active. And in Ajahn Chahs monasteries, when

themonks worked, they really worked. One time he wanted a

road built up toWat Tum Saeng Petmountainmonastery, and

the Highways Department offered to help. But before long

they pulled out, so Ajahn Chah took the monks up there to

do it. Everybody worked from three oclock in the afternoon

until three oclock the next morning. A rest was allowed until

just after five, when they would head off down the hill to the

village on alms-round. After the meal they could rest again

until three, before starting work once more. But nobody

saw Ajahn Chah take a rest; he was busy receiving people


who came to visit. And when it was time for work he didnt

just direct it. He joined in the heavy lifting, carrying rocks

alongside everyone else. That was always very inspiring for

the monks to see: hauling water from the well, sweeping and

so on, he was always there, right up until the time when his

health began to fail.

Ajahn Chah wasnt always popular in his province in

north-east Thailand, even though he did bring about many

major changes in the lives of the people. There was a great

deal of animism and superstition in their belief systems. Very

few people practised meditation, out of fear that it would

drive them crazy. There was more interest in magical powers

and psychic phenomena than in Buddhism. A lot of killing

of animals was done in the pursuit of merit. Ajahn Chah was

often very outspoken on such issues, so he hadmany enemies.

Nevertheless, there were always many who loved him,

and it was clear that he never played on that. In fact, if any of

his disciples were getting too close, hewould send them away.

Sometimes monks became attached to him, and he promptly

sent them off to some other monastery. Charismatic as he

was, he always stressed the importance of the Sangha of

community spirit.

I think it was because Ajahn Chah was nobody in particu-

lar that he could be anybody he chose. If he felt it was neces-

sary to be fierce, he could be that. If he felt that somebody

would benefit fromwarmth and kindness, then he would give

them. You had the feeling he would be whatever was helpful

for the person he was with. And he was very clear about the


proper understanding of conventions. Someone once asked

about the relative merits of arahants and bodhisattvas. He

answered, Dont be an arahant, dont be a bodhisattva, dont

be anything at all. If you are an arahant you will suffer, if you

are a bodhisattva youwill suffer, if you are anything at youwill

suffer. I had the feeling that Ajahn Chah wasnt anything at

all. The quality in him which inspired awe was the light of

Dhamma he reflected; it wasnt exactly him as a person.

So since first meeting Ajahn Chah, I have had an unshake-

able conviction that this way is truly possible it works it

is good enough. And Ive found a willingness to acknowledge

that if there are any problems, its me who is creating them.

Its not the form and its not the teachings. This appreciation

made things a lot easier. Its important that we are able to

learn from all the ups and downs we have in practice. Its

important that we come to know how to be a refuge unto

ourselves to see clearly for ourselves. When I consider the

morass of selfishness and foolishnessmy life could have been,

and then reflect on the teachings and benefits Ive received, I

find I really want to dedicate my life to being a credit to my

teacher. This reflection has been a great source of strength.

This is one form of Sanghnussati, recollection of the Sangha

recollection of the great debt we owe our teachers.

So I trust that you may find this is of some help in your

practice.


3LIVING WITH LUANG POR

Issue 13, published in July 1990. Further recollections by those who knew

him.

Paul Breiter

Formerly Ven. Varapao, writes of his early contact with Ajahn

Chah (c. 1970):

One cold afternoon as we swept the monastery grounds

with long-handled brooms, I thought how nice it would be,

what a simple thing it really was, if we could have a sweet

drink of sugary coffee or tea after working like that, to warm

the bones and give us a little energy for meditation at night.

I had heard that Western monks in the forest tend to get

infatuated with sweets, and finally the dam burst for me. One

morning on piapat, from the moment I walked out of the

gate of the Wat to the moment I came back about one and

a half hours later, I thought continually about sugar, candy,

45

sweets, chocolate. Finally I sent a letter asking a lay supporter

in Bangkok to send me some palm-sugar cakes. And I waited.

The weeks went by. One day I went to town with a layman

to get medicine. We stopped by the Post Office and my

long-awaited package was there. It was huge, and ants were

already at it.

When I got back to the Wat, I took the box to my ku and

opened it. There were 20-25 pounds of palm and sugarcane

cakes. I went wild, stuffing them down until my stomach

ached. Then I thought I should share them (otherwise Imight

get very sick!), so I put some aside and took the rest to Ajahn

Chahs ku. He had the bell rung, all the monks and novices

came, and everyone enjoyed a rare treat.

That night I ate more; and the next morning I couldnt

control myself. The sugar cakes were devouring me; my

blessing started to seem like a curse. So I took the cakes in

a plastic bag and decided to go round the monks kus and

gave them away.

For a start I fell downmy stairs and bruised myself nicely.

The wooden stairs can get slippery in cold weather, and I

wasnt being very mindful in my guilty, distressed state of

mind.

The first ku I went to had a light on inside, but I called

and therewas no answer. Finally, after Id called several times

and waited, the monk timidly asked who it was (I didnt yet

understand how strong fear of ghosts is among those people).

I offered him some sugar, and he asked me why I didnt want

to keep it for myself. I tried to explain about my defiled state


ofmind. He took one (it was hard to get them to takemuch, as

it is considered to be in very bad taste to display ones desire

or anger).

I repeated this with a few others, having little chats along

the way. It was getting late, and although I hadnt unloaded

all the sugar cakes, I headed back to my ku. My flashlight

batteries were almost dead, so I lit matches to try to have

a view of the path there were lots of poisonous things

creeping and crawling around in the forest. I ran into some

army ants and experienced my first fiery sting. I got back to

my ku feeling very foolish. In the morning I took the rest

of the cakes and gave them to one of the senior monks, who

I felt would have the wisdom and self-discipline to be able to

handle them.

But my heart grew heavy. I went to see Ajahn Chah in the

afternoon to confess my sins. I felt like it was all over for me,

there was no hope left. He was talking with an old monk. I

made the customary three prostrations, sat down andwaited.

When he acknowledged me, I blurted out, Im impure, my

mind is soiled, Im no good He looked very concerned.

What is it? he asked. I told him my story. Naturally he was

amused, and within a few minutes I realized that he had me

laughing. I was very light-hearted; the world was no longer

about to end. In fact, I had forgotten about my burden. This

was one of his most magical gifts. You could feel so burdened

and depressed and hopeless, and after being around him for a

fewminutes it all vanished, and you found yourself laughing.

Sometimes you only needed to go and sit down at his ku and

Chapter 3. Living with Luang Por 47

be around him as he spoke with others. Even when he was

away I would get a contact high of peacefulness as soon I got

near his ku to clean up or to sweep leaves.

He said, In the afternoon, whenwater-hauling is finished,

you come here and clean up. My first reaction was, Hes got

a lot of nerve, telling me to come and wait on him. But apart

from being one of my duties, it was a foot in the door and

a privilege. Through it, I was to start seeing that there was

a way of life in the monastery which is rich, structured and

harmonious. And at the centre of it all is the teacher, who is

someone to be relied on.

Finally, he asked why I was so skinny. Immediately, one

of the monks who was there told him that I took a very small

ball of rice at meal-time. Did I not like the food? I told him I

just couldnt digest much of the sticky rice, so I kept cutting

down. I had come to accept it as the way it was, thinking I

was so greedy that eating less and less was a virtue. But he

was concerned. Did I feel tired? Most of the time I had little

strength, I admitted. So, he said, Im going to put you on a

special diet for a while just plain rice gruel and fish sauce to

start with. You eat a lot of it, and your stomach will stretch

out. Then well go to boiled rice, and finally to sticky rice. Im

a doctor, he added. (I found out later on that he actually was

an accomplished herbalist, as well as having knowledge of all

the illnesses to which monks are prone). He told me not to

push myself too much. If I didnt have any strength, I didnt

have to carry water, etc.


That was when themagic really began. That was when he

was no longer just Ajahn Chah to me. He became Luang Por,

Venerable Father.

Ajahn Munindo

A visit from Luang Por:

There was a very difficult period in my training in Thai-

land, after I had already been a monk for about four years.

As a result of a motorbike accident I had had before I was

ordained, and a number of years of sitting in bad posture,

my knees seized up. The doctors in Bangkok said it was

severe arthritis, but nothing that a small operation couldnt

fix. They said it would take two or three weeks. But after two

months and three operations I was still hardlywalking. There

had been all kinds of complications: scar tissue, three lots of

general anaesthetic and the hot season was getting at me; my

mind was really in a state. I was thinking, My whole life as a

monk is ruined. Whoever heard of a Buddhistmonkwho cant

sit cross-legged? Every time I saw somebody sitting cross-

legged Id feel angry. I was feeling terrible, and my mind was

saying, It shouldnt be like this; the doctor shouldnt have

done it like that; the monks rules shouldnt be this way .

It was really painful, physically and mentally. I was in a very

unsatisfactory situation.

Then I heard that Ajahn Chah was coming down to

Bangkok. I thought if I went to see him he might be able to

help in some way. His presence was always very uplifting.


When I visited him I couldnt bow properly; he looked at

me and asked, What are you up to? I began to complain.

Oh, Luang Por, I said, Its not supposed to be this way. The

doctors said two weeks and it has been two months I was

really wallowing. With a surprised expression on his face he

said to me, very powerfully, What do you mean, it shouldnt

be this way? If it shouldnt be this way, it wouldnt be this

way!

That really did something to me. He pointed to exactly

what I was doing that was creating the problem. There was

no question about the fact of the pain; the problem was my

denying that fact, and that was something I was doing. This

is not just a theory. When someone offers us the reflection of

exactly what we are doing, we are incredibly grateful, even if

at that time we feel a bit of a twit.

Ajahn Sumedho

An incident from his early days with Ajahn Chah (c. 1967-69):

In those days I was a very junior monk, and one night

Ajahn Chah took us to a village fete I think Satimanto was

there at the time.

Now, we were all very serious practitioners and didnt

want any kind of frivolity or foolishness; so of course going

to a village fete was the last thing we wanted to do, because

in these villages they love loudspeakers.

Anyway, Ajahn Chah took Satimanto and I to this village

fete, andwe had to sit up all night with all the raucous sounds


of the loudspeakers going and monks giving talks all night

long. I kept thinking, Oh, I want to get back to my cave.

Green skin monsters and ghosts are much better than this.

I noticed that Satimanto (who was incredibly serious) was

looking angry and critical, and very unhappy. So we sat

there lookingmiserable, and I thought, WhydoesAjahnChah

bring us to these things? Then I began to see for myself. I

remember sitting there thinking, Here I am getting all upset

over this. Is it that bad? Whats really bad is what Immaking

out of it, whats really miserable is my mind. Loudspeakers

and noise, distraction and sleepiness all that, one can really

put up with. Its that awful thing in my mind that hates it,

resents it and wants to leave.

That evening I could really see what misery I could create

in my mind over things that one can bear. I remember that

as a very clear insight of what I thought was miserable and

what really is miserable. At first I was blaming the people

and the loudspeakers, and the disruption, the noise and the

discomfort, I thought that was the problem. Then I realized

that it wasnt it was my mind that was miserable.

Sister Candasiri

Sister Candasiri first met Luang Por Chah while still a laywoman,

during his second visit to England in 1979:

For me one of the most striking things about Luang Por

Chah was the effect of his presence on those around him.

Watching Ajahn Sumedho who hitherto had been for me


a somewhat awe-inspiring teacher sit at his feet with an

attitude of sheer delight, devotion and adoration lingers in

the mind as a memory of extraordinary sweetness. Ajahn

Chah would tease him, Maybe its time for you to come back

to Thailand! Everyone gasped inwardly: Is he serious?

Later on a visitor, a professional flautist, began to ask

about music. What about Bach? Surely theres nothing

wrongwith that muchof hismusic is very spiritual, not at all

worldly. (It was a question that interestedme greatly). Ajahn

Chah looked at her, andwhen she had finished he said quietly,

Yes, but the music of the peaceful heart is much, much more

beautiful.

Ajahn Santacitto

Recollecting his own first meeting with Ajahn Chah:

From the very first meeting with Ajahn Chah, I couldnt

help but be aware of how powerful a force was emanating

from this person. I had just arrived at the monastery with

a friend, and neither of us spokemuch Thai, so the possibility

of talking with and hearing Dhamma from Ajahn Chah was

very limited. I was considering taking ordination as a monk

mainly in order to learn about meditation, rather than from

any serious inclination towards religious practice.

It happened that just at that time, a group of local villa-

gers came to ask him to perform a certain traditional cere-

mony which involved a great deal of ritual. The laymen

bowed down before the Master, then they got completely


covered over with a white cloth, and then holy water was

brought out and candles were dripped into it, while the

monks did the chanting. And young lad that I was, very

science-minded, rather iconoclastic by nature, I found this all

rather startling, and wondered just what I was letting myself

in for. Did I really want to become one of these guys and do

this kind of thing?

So I just started to look around, watching this scene

unfold beforeme, untilmy eye caught AjahnChahs, andwhat

I saw on his face was very unexpected: there was the smile

of a mischievous young man, as if he were saying, Good fun,

isnt it! This threwme a bit; I could no longer think of him as

being attached to this kind of ritual, and I began to appreciate

his wisdom. But a few minutes later, when the ceremony was

over and everyone got up and out from under the cloth, all

looking very happy and elated, I noticed that the expression

on his face had changed; no sign of that mischievous young

lad. And although I couldnt understand a word of Thai, I

couldnt help but feel very deeply that quality of compassion

in the way he took this opportunity of teaching people who

otherwise might not have been open and susceptible. It was

seeing how, rather than fighting and resisting social customs

with their rites and rituals, he knew how to use them skilfully

to help people. I think this is what hooked me.

It happened countless times: people would come to the

monastery with their problems, looking for an easy answer,

but somehow, whatever the circumstances, his approach

never varied. He met everybody with a complete openness,


with the eyes of a babe, as it seemed to me, no matter who

theywere. One day a very large Chinese businessman came to

visit. He did his rather disrespectful form of bowing, and as

he did so his sports shirt slipped over his back pocket, and

out stuck a pistol. Carrying a pistol is about the grossest

thing you can do when coming to see an Ajahn in a Thai

monastery! That really took me aback, but what struck me

most of allwas thatwhenAjahnChah looked at him, therewas

that same openness, no difference, eyes like a babe. There

was a complete openness and willingness to go into the other

persons world, to be there, to experience it, to share it with

them.

Ajahn Sumedho

Recalling an incident during Luang Pors visit to Britain in 1977:

When Ajahn Chah first visited England, he was invited to

a certain womans home for a vegetarianmeal. She obviously

had put a lot of effort into creating the most delicious kinds

of food. She was bustling about offering this food and looking

very enthusiastic. Ajahn Chah was sitting there assessing

the situation, and then suddenly he said: This is the most

delicious and wonderful meal I have ever had!

That commentwas really something, because inThailand,

monks are not supposed to comment on the food. And yet

Luang Por suddenly manifested this charming character in

complimenting a woman who needed to be complimented,

and it made her feel so happy. He had a feeling for the time


and place, for the person hewaswith, for whatwould be kind.

He could step out of the designated role andmanifest in ways

thatwere appropriate; hewas not actually breaking any rules,

but it was out of character. Now, that shows wisdom and the

ability to respond to a situation not to be just rigidly bound

within a convention that blinds you.

Paul Breiter

On his visit in 1979, he related that once a Westerner (a lay-

man, I think) came to Wat Pah Pong and asked him if he was

an arahant. Ajahn Chah told him, Your question is a question

to be answered. I will answer it like this: I am like a tree in the

forest. Birds come to the tree, theywill sit on its branches and

eat its fruit. To the birds, the fruit may be sweet or sour or

whatever. But the tree doesnt know anything about it. The

birds say sweet or they say sour from the trees point of

view this is just the chattering of the birds.

On that same evening we also discussed the relative vir-

tues of the arahant and the bodhisattva. He ended our discus-

sion by saying, Dont be an arahant. Dont be a Buddha. Dont

be anything at all. Being somethingmakes problems. So dont

be anything. You dont have to be something, he doesnt have

to be something, I dont have to be something He paused,

and then said, Sometimes when I think about it, I dont want

to say anything.


4AJAHN CHAH PASSES AWAY

Issue 20, published in April 1992. Venerable hitapao offers an

account of the events at Wat Pah Pong immediately following Luang

Por Chahs death.

On themorning of 16th January, the Sangha inBritain received

a brief message from Wat Pah Nanachat to inform us of the

death of Luang Por Chah. The Venerable Ajahn had been

critically ill, paralyzed and rendered completely incapacit-

ated by brain damage and numerous strokes over the past

ten years. Our winter retreat offered us an ideal opportunity

to pay honour to his example, reflect upon his teachings and

further our practice in the way that he made clear.

It was during a retreat at Wat Keuan that Ajahn Sumedho

and the Western Sangha who had gathered there heard that

Luang Por Chah had been admitted to Ubon Hospital. Mal-

functioning kidneys and heart complications had proved to

be beyond the medical skills of the monks nursing him. Dur-

57

ing the ten years of his illness Luang Por had entered hos-

pital many times, yet on each occasion he had miraculously

recovered. However, reports soon began to reach us that his

body was refusing to take food and the general state of his

health was deteriorating.

Early on the evening of 15th January the doctors at the

ICU realized that Luang Pors condition had deteriorated to

the extent that he was beyond medical assistance. At 10 p.m.

Luang Por was taken by ambulance to his nursing ku at Wat

Pah Pong, in compliance with his previous request that he

might pass away in his own monastery. It was at 5.20 a.m.

on 16th January that the body of Luang Par Chah breathed its

last, and in an atmosphere of peace the life of a great Buddhist

master came to its end.

The attendant monks chanted the reflection that death

is the natural consequence of birth and that in the cessation

of conditions is peace, then prepared Luang Pors body for

the funeral services. As the news of his death spread, people

began to arrive to pay their respects. Soon government offi-

cials, as representatives of the King, came to perform the

initial ceremonies necessary for a royal funeral.

Within hours the corpse was moved to the main sla,

where it was laid in an ornately decorated coffin. The coffin

was then sealed, and a picture of Luang Por was placed to the

left alongwith different requisites such as his bowl and robes.

Wreaths from the King, the Queen and other members of the

royal family were placed to the right. In front of the coffin,

extensive flower arrangements created the finishing touches.


As the news of Luang Pors death spread, his disciples

rushed to theWat to pay their respects andoffer their support

with the preparations to receive visitors to the monastery. It

was decided that during the 15 days following Luang Pors

death a Dhamma practice session would be held, as an offer-

ing of remembrance and a focal point aroundwhich themany

incoming lay andmonastic disciples could collect themselves.

The Sangha from Wat Pah Nanachat would come over every

day at around 5 p.m. and stay until midnight. During this

period of 15 days, about 400monks, 70 nuns and 500 laypeople

resided at Wat Pah Pong, practising meditation until mid-

night, listening to talks on Dhamma themes and participating

in various funeral ceremonies. Most of the Sanghawere living

out under the trees of the forest, using their glo

Documents

Recollections of Ajahn Chah - Various Authors